BHUBANESHWAR (India), July 9: India test-fired its longest-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile for the first time on Sunday, but it failed to hit its target, defence officials and sources said.

The Agni-III missile, which defence sources say has a range of 4,000 kilometres, was launched from Wheeler Island in the eastern state of Orissa, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

They said the missile developed problems after a successful take-off.

“The missile after lift-off went vertically to a distance of 12 kilometres when the second booster failed to fire, resulting in non-separation of that stage,” a defence official said, asking not to be named.

“The missile crashed into the sea without hitting the target.”

The Indian defence ministry, however, refused to comment on whether the missile had failed its first test.

“All I can say is that the take-off was successful. It would take us 48 hours to analyze all the data,” defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told AFP.

In May, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said Agni-III, India’s longest-range ballistic missile, was ready but that the country was observing ‘self-imposed restraint’ before testing it.

Opposition parties criticised the announcement, saying testing was being delayed because of pressure from the United States. New Delhi and Washington reached a landmark deal in March that will see sanctions lifted on India’s access to civilian nuclear technology.

Sunday’s test launch comes just four days after North Korea sparked an international outcry by test-firing seven missiles.

A highly-placed Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) source said the Indian test was ‘successful.’

He said scientists had detected a snag in the booster rocket system of Agni-III two weeks ago and had delayed its test. “Now we have papered over the problem and hence the launch window was chosen as Sunday,” he said. The missile was tracked during take-off, re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown in the Bay of Bengal, another official said.—AFP